This is the treasure map for thehappyfew discovering the coastline. Save your pins! Costa de Prata (between Porto and Lisbon) Infinite white beaches for surfers and lovers of the immense blue, and secret coves that are hard to find and even harder to leave. Direction from Porto / Vila Nova de Gaia – Dunas Sao Jacinto – Nazare – Obidos – Baleal – Peniche, Praia da Mexilhoeira – Foz do Sizandro – Sao Juliao – Magoito, to Aguda, Adraga and down to Guincho. . ALGARVE: the Lagos – Sagres – Cabo Sao Vicente area. Probably the most beautiful beaches in the world, an incredible scenery created by the famous red…
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Outside Valencia: 3 escapes
AZAHAR means “citrus blossom”, and the word has a ring to it and stays with you forever once you’ve seen the orange trees in bloom. Valencia has it all for a truly captivating holiday; the sea and the oranges and the food and the urban surprises, and even some happy escapes that you can try if you’re feeling adventurous. As I said, driving in Valencia is completely stress-free, and outside Valencia you have the usual Spanish quality roads, so there is absolutely no reason to not venture beyond.
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ON RICE AND MEN (and possibly giraffes): VALENCIA
Delicate rice fields, equally delicate elephants, huge beaches and huge whales, original paella and a river to play tennis in – incredible findings in one city, but oh so true.
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Istanbul survival guide: best things
One word for it: spectacular. Another two words for it: Grand Bazaar; that’s a very good synonym. Istanbul is a love it or not story, but a must-see nevertheless. You can never hate it, no matter how chaotic it may seem at times, but you will find there is a very thin line between loving it and simply visiting it off. I found that most people are thoroughly addicted to Istanbul, but thehappyfew will need this prose in order to feel the poetry. I have some of the best things in Istanbul, some snobbish advice and some personal tips. Here it goes. Best things in Istanbul The whole world becomes…
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Val d’Orcia and the ideal city
One fine day, the Architect looked out of the window to see the future; he saw a utopian landscape of pale green fields and pure skies, rolling into forever. Then he took a brush and four colors and started painting: pale yellowish green for the fields, dark green for the cypresses, blue azzuro for the skies and warm brown for the roads and the farms. You think I’m being rather corny, poetic with a touch of mysticism. I can be all that, but today I’m merely factual. The Val d’Orcia, another world favorite of the happy few, is a region of perfect landscape south of Siena, included in the UNESCO…
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Dolce far’niente
The Tuscandiary, Day One I wake up in an aura of light, immersed in lazy serenity, as the wooden sunblinds draw golden paths on the fresh white linens. I see fairy dust dancing in the light and I can hear mysterious sings and a delicate rustle through the half-open window. There’s something about the sound of wind through the cypresses and old olive trees that works like a timeless lullaby. Our home is secretly nestled in the vineyards on the hills near Monteriggioni, far from the world and deep into wonderland. It has views over Chianti Classico, Castellina and Greve at day and the starriest sky over at night. Plus…
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One itinerary for your Tuscan holiday
12 days of grace There’s only one thing I can think of that can make leaving Florence bearable: leaving it for Chianti. Yes, the wine. And the life. So my 12 days of grace recipe starts with 3 days in Florence, followed by 9 more in the countryside, in the heart of the Tuscan vines. I pack my things carelessly, throw everything in the small Fiat or Mini I rented, and head south for the SR222. First timers are warned: go my way, not the highway. What I mean is take the SR222, the “wine” road through the villages and vineyards of Chianti Classico. I always stay at a farmhouse…
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Bretagne pentru gurmanzi
Pofticiosi suntem cu totii, insa apetitul este de mai multe feluri: lacom, impulsiv, artistic, retoric, disciplinat, cultivat, rafinat sau pur si simplu pasionat. Asa cum nu am nici o indoiala ca fiecare va descoperi cel putin une crepe sau une galette dupa care sa scanceasca de placere si sa-si linga degetutele, tot asa stiu ca, dupa Bretagne, 3 lucruri se vor schimba pentru totdeauna : viziunea asupra stridiilor, asteptarile de la banalele midii, si rolul miraculos al sarii in bucate.
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NAZARE, The Monster Waves and the Beautiful Free beaches
If you’re one of those addicts of the extraordinary, this one is for you. Far enough up the coast from Lisbon, Nazare is only transited by tourist packs during the day. If you avoid the classical summer rage, you find a blue and white village that has not sold its soul to the devil of “leisure” just yet. It is an old fishing village, very old indeed. In the year 700 they were fighting pirates when a legendary couple came into the story: a monk and a king. The king was carrying a sword of bravery and the monk was carrying a statue of redemption. The legends Roderic, the last…
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Despre Bretagne, inceputurile
Cum de am ajuns noi sa avem o Creperie? Prietenii stiu déjà, iar povestea, asa pe scurt, a ajuns destul de celebra in presa. Insa rasfoind din cand in cand pe aici veti afla care este legatura intre caramelul sarat, regele Arthur, les galettes completes, casele-insula si dansurile celte. Intr-un cuvant, o nunta. Desigur ca nu orice fel de nunta, ci o nunta cu mare talc si unica pe lume, care a avut loc intr-un catun inconjurat de ape in Bretagne.